I’m crazy about making pillows with invisible zippers. It’s to the point that Jefe teases me if I haven’t been in production mode for awhile, asking if everything is alright. I’m pretty sure once you have this method under your belt that you’ll be making piles of them yourself.
Materials (Besides your usual sewing tools and machines you will need):
–Pillow form. I prefer down filled as they hold up better and get structure to the corners
-1 invisible zipper (a few inches shorter than the bottom length of pillow form/** note that this zipper is different from a regular zipper)
–Front and back exterior pillow panels, cut to the exact size as form. (These measurements produce a “stuffed” looking pillow, so add an inch or more if you like a more relaxed fit)
–(2) pieces muslin (or cast off fabric that won’t show through exterior fabric) cut to the exact size as the pillow form / or if using a serger cut muslin add an inch
-zipper foot or invisible zipper foot
-Pen
-turning tool
-pinking shears (optional)
Step 1) ::Cut the Pillow’s Front and Back Exterior Panels/ Line with Muslin::
Place pillow front right side up on top of the muslin piece, aligning edges (or center on muslin). Pin in place all around and over lock, zip-zag stitch or serge the raw edges. Repeat for pillow back.
Step 2) ::Zipper Feet::
You will need to iron your zipper if you use this foot. I actually prefer this method. See below.
Invisible Zipper Foot: (Left 35)
You can buy them for any machine. The groove opens the zipper as you sew getting a very close stitch. You don’t need to iron your zipper or move your needle with this foot.
**I will warn you that with some thicker muslins can create annoying tight stitches and using a regular zipper foot is just as easy.
Step 3) ::Preparing the Zipper::
1) Fold the closed zipper in half lengthwise wrong sides together. Using your pen, mark the middle on each side of the zipper’s tape on the wrong side (this is the side where the teeth are visible when closed).
2) On the wrong side of the zipper tape, mark on each side where the zipper teeth start.
3) Again on the wrong side of the tape, mark each side of the tape about 1.25″ from the bottom of the zipper teeth stopper.
Step 4 ::Iron Zipper::
Don’t iron if you have an invisible zipper foot!
Unzip your zipper and place it right side down on your ironing board. Uncurl the teeth from the zipper tape by ironing them so that the teeth of the zipper lay flat with the tape. Follow heat setting directions for zipper, but I’ve found you can go pretty hot ass.
Step 5) ::Sewing Zipper to Front Panel::
Fold your front panel in half by width, mark fold with a pin at the bottom of the panel.
Open zipper, place it right side down aligning pin and middle mark. The whole zipper will be on the pillow panel with top of zipper at the left.
Pin the zipper tape to the bottom edge of the pillow front with the pinheads facing the end of the zipper for easy removal while sewing.
Step 5) ::Install the Zipper Foot and Adjust Needle::
Invisible Zipper Foot-
No needle adjustment necessary with an invisible zipper foot.
Regular Zipper Foot-
Attach your zipper foot adjusting it (if necessary) and your needle position for close stitching (about 1/16″) to the teeth of the zipper.
Step 6) ::Stitch Zipper to Front Pillow Panel::
(Read this step to the end before starting)
Drop the needle and begin sewing at the mark at the start of the zipper teeth. Sew a few stitches and backstitch to secure. Continue sewing the length of the zipper removing pins as you sew.
Sew until your needle is at the mark from the zipper stopper at the bottom. Backstitch to secure.
Check out your stitching. Now is your chance to go back and sew even closer if you are seeing the zipper tape when you close the zipper.
(*** you don’t have to get close to the zipper teeth the first time, you can just basting with a 1/8″ seam to get rid of the pins and then go back and get a closer seam to the zipper. If your machine doesn’t seem to be pulling the panel through then switch to a regular foot when basting.)
Step 7) ::Sewing Zipper to Back Side of Pillow::
Fold back panel in half lengthwise right sides together to find the center and mark the bottom with a pin.
Place the back panel right side up on your work space. Place the second side of the zipper tape right side down (make sure it’s not twisted) on the bottom edge of the right side of the pillow back. The teeth will face the center of the pillow.
Align the mark and pin again just like you did in Step 4.
Pin the zipper tape to the bottom edge with the pinheads facing the end of the zipper for easy removal.
Step 8) ::Sew The Zipper to the Pillow Back::
For a Regular Zipper Foot, switch the zipper foot side and needle position as needed (use the mirror button on your machine if you have one).
Drop the needle to begin sewing at the mark at the start of the zipper teeth.
Sew a few stitches and then backstitch to secure. Continue sewing the length of the zipper removing pins as you sew. Sew until your needle is at the mark at the bottom of the zipper. Backstitch to secure. ***Again you don’t have to get close. You can just baste and get rid of the pins and sew closer to the teeth the next go.
Close the zipper, now is the chance to go back and sew closer if you see any of the zipper tape when you close it.
Step 9) ::Connecting the front and back panels::
Close the zipper and align the corners of the front and back panels on either side of the zipper. It is more important that the zipper lays flat than the corners match.
Heavily pin the corners up to the zipper, moving the zipper tape that is not sewn down on either end of the panels to the outside edge of the pillow like photo above.
Unzip the zipper about 2/3rds. You will be pissed at yourself if you forget this step;)
Unzip the zipper about 2/3rds. You will be pissed at yourself if you forget this step;)
Unzip the zipper about 2/3rds. You will be pissed at yourself if you forget this step;)
Unzip the zipper about 2/3rds. You will be pissed at yourself if you forget this step;)
Ok, don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Pin the pillow top and back right sides together around the perimeter aligning edges best you can, but again it is more important that both sides of the zipper align than the edges of the pillow. You have wiggle room on that.
Step 9)::Sew around the Perimeter::
Install your regular sewing foot or a walking foot if your pillow is quilted.
Sew the top and back together starting in line with the stitch line from the zipper, about a 3/8″ seam. Start sewing as close to the bottom of the zipper’s stitching/seam line as possible. Sew a few stitches, backstitch to secure. I generally go back and forth a few times with my backstitch since this is where stitches can ‘pop’ when putting the pillow form in.
Stop with the needle down 1/2″ from each corner, rotate the pillow 90 degrees and continue sewing with 1/2″ seam on the sides and top of the pillow. When you come to the last corner sew to 3/8″ of the corner. Rotate the pillow 90 degrees and continue sewing with a 3/8″ seam or in line with the seam that you sewed the zipper down. End the stitching as close to the zipper as possible. Backstitch to secure.
That’s it for sewing!
Step 9)::Pink Corners, Trim and Press::
Trim across the corners to reduce bulk. Be sure not to cut into your stitching.
Open the zipper completely and turn the pillow right side out.
Push the corners out with a turning tool. Press.
Insert the pillow form, zip the zipper and enjoy!
i’ve never put a zipper on anything before… that looks easy, i must try it!
thanks for sharing, your pillows looks so great and the fabrics are awesome!
great tutorial – love the owls…
I’ve always run from anything calling for a zipper, but you make it look easy! My daughter home schools and their logo is an owl. I’d love to make them something with similar fabric as it is absolutely adorable. Thanks for the “tut”. xo,
Thanks for the great tutorial!
I love that owl fabric!
I work for a fabric store and one of my co-workers re-upholstered a chair in those owls.
Check it out
http://treadleyardgoods.blogspot.com/2010/04/best-of-treadle.html
This is so great! It makes me want to go get an invisible zipper foot! Very polished and professional looking pillows!
I love those owls! I have some in the lighter gray. This is a great tutorial. I will definitely have to try it. Thanks!
These are so cute. Thank you for the tutorial. It is a great idea to make them for the classroom. I really love those owls, I bought some and I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do with them. Now, I think I will make these. Thanks!
Love the technique and LOVE the combination of the woodgrain backing with the owls, perfect!
This is great! Thank you for sharing it!
These looks great – this is the inspiration I need to make some pillows. Thank you ; )
ok…now i have to do this…a question (maybe this is for me) do i need an invisible zipper foot, or does the regular zipper foot on my machine work for this? maybe i have an invisible zipper foot and i don’t even know it.
the tut looks great!
Yes, it’s necessary to have a zipper foot, not an invisible…don’t know if there is such a thing.
thank you, thank you, thank you for showing this!! I have been wanting to do zippers in my pillows, but was feeling a bit intimidated at the thought….but you just made it look very easy and doable!!
Awesome tutorial! Thank you so much for making it look so EASY.
What a great tutorial! and just in time for my living room pillow spruce up 🙂
It seems easy cheezy! Thanks!
What a great tutorial! I’ve been trying to get craftier so hopefully this will help!
Awesome! I have a couple invisible zippers – cant wait to try it.
Great tutorials for both the pillow and zipper! And that owl fabric is one of my favorites.
oooo, I just finished my first invisible zipper pillow! Thank you! I’ll be posting it on my blog in the next few days.
thank you…i have been wanting to do a pillow with invisible zipper , i have all the tools and supplies but have not started…duh! ..I will do so after seeing your tute here…TQ
Thanks so much for this wonderful tutorial .. I always did a envelope back, but what a waste of fabric .. this is WAY better.
thanks
Cleo
I’m so glad you did this tutorial because I am the WORST at zippers and I’ve been trying to figure this out forever! Thanks for stopping by and saying hello….I actually am from Poulsbo (right off Bainbridge Island) but right now we’re living in Cleveland during grad school. But I”m here ALL the time because I love it here! We had so much fun visiting Kathy….after I saw the pictures of your visit I HAD to go! 🙂 Enjoy the sun out there today!!! -Allison
Hmm… I am finishing my first pillow ever tomorrow night. I was planning on hand-stitching it closed, but maybe a zipper? I am wondering if it’d really be worth it as I don’t imagine I’ll wash it much…
Thanks for this tutorial. I think I will give it a try for the Pillow Swap over on flickr. Can you tell me what the brown fabric on the back of the blue pillow is? Love those owls!
It’s alexander henry heath. It’s a home decor and a grey/brown color in person.
I used your tutorial to create pillows for our new nursery and i finally did a zipper correctly! Thanks!
I posted on it here: http://www.chicpeastudio.com/2010/05/pillows-for-nursery.html
Thanks again i love my new pillows.
I can’t thank you enough for posting this tutorial. It has taught me so much (I am a visual learner). You made me realize a lot of mistakes I was making, and helped me correct them. It now takes me less time to complete a zipper, and the results are a much better looking pillow.
Hello,
I was wondering- it doesn’t look like you used an invisible zipper foot. Is it possible to put in an inv. zipper with a regular foot? Thanks for the great tutorial!!
Suzanne
You just use a regular zipper foot Suzanne.
SUCCESS!! I hold in my excited hands my first quilted project – a pillow with a zipper closure 🙂 Well done on your awesome tutorial! Thank you!!!
Hello Katie! Thank you for this very good tutorial! I have used zippers but not so well!!! This was really ‘welcome’ now! Best wishes Teje
thank you for your great tutorial…i’d like to give a try.
Let me know how it goes!
I just wanted to let you know that I followed your tutorial, and made a zippered pillow cover for the first time. Your directions were excellent. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this!
Here’s a link to the post I did, with a (not so good) photo of the pillows. Thanks again!
http://designesquire.blogspot.com/2010/10/happy-friday.html
Christine
will definitely be trying this! I always need my hand held when sewing zippers. LOL. Thanks for being the one to do that.
Just saw your link on my blog, clicked on it and landed on this great tutorial. I need to make pillows this weekend so this is very timely. Thank you very much.
Katie … this is great … thanks!
Would love to know how it goes!
This worked out great. Thank you. I used a regular zipper. Adding the muslin was totally work the extra step. More of a professional look- I was surprised at the result.
Thanks for letting me know!
Thanks for taking the time to post this tutorial. I have new pillows on the agenda for my sewing list this week, so your post is timely! I have been installing zippers for four decades, but your approach is crisp and the addition of the muslin layer makes for a quality looking item. Thanks!
Hope it goes well. I’m waiting on some fabric and then hope to get new pictures up this week.
that does look lovely! I lost your email address for some reason. 😛
Thanks for the tutorial. It was so helpful. One thing I found, though, was that I still needed to iron the zipper teeth flat even though I had an invisible zipper foot. I found that the foot wasn’t getting close enough to the zipper teeth unless I ironed the teeth flat.
Hmmm…mine has grooves that you have to have the teeth in correctly or you won’t get super close. Glad you got it to work though!
You make it look so easy! Hmmmm….. maybe I’ll give my never-before-used hidden zipper foot a try 🙂
I am so glad I found your tutorial! You have helped me overcome my fear of invisible zipper and as such maximized my fabric which I happened to buy a little but short of. Now I got to finish up three more pillow covers for Christmas!
thank you for a great tutorial- just installed my 2nd hidden zipper, this time it was much more successful/pretty. Never knew the iron the zipper trick!
thanks! 🙂
Yeah! So glad to hear. It will be in the book as well.
Can you explain step 8 better? Do I pin the zipper ends to each side of the pillow “panels” , leave pins in and then pin the rest of the pillow and sew?
Move or fold the loose ends of the zipper tape toward the raw edge of the panels. Essentially you want them out of the way and not sewn down. Hope that helps.
Thanks applied this to bumper pads!
Thank you so much for this terrific tutorial. I struggled a bit since I had a regular zipper foot, but it turned out pretty well. I was so nervous since the front of the pillow was an Hawaiian applique with linen (stupid, I now know) and I didn’t want it to end up in shreds. No worries! So happy!
Oh yeah! They are so fun to make and good for you for just going for it!
Bless you for this! If only I’d found this sooner I could’ve saved hours of time, and what feels like years off my life! This is now the top bookmarked page on my sewing ‘go to’ list!
I just used this tutorial for a pillow for the pillow talk swap. Thank you so much! I’ll be making more of these, for sure! http://sewkellysews.blogspot.com/2012/07/pillow-talk-swap-8-finished.html
So glad you liked it, it’s so simple.
I have never made a pillow because of zippers. I will try this tutorial. Thank you so much from my heart. The directions look like I can do this.
Katie, I am long overdue thanking you for posting this tutorial! Since I just posted a comment on another blog (quarterinchmark) referring them to you, I figured better late than never. I enjoy making pillows now that I can sew in that invisible zipper.
so glad it worked well for you!
Thank you for this! The instructions included with the zipper make no sense at all. Your instructions are great!!! 🙂
woohoo! thank you so much for these instructions with pictures included for us with all sorts of learning confusions! soooo easy to understand.
Thanks, Katie!! Looked at several sites for instructions, even videos, yours were the easiest to understand and follow. Made two Euro shams for my den by re-purposing a faux mink stole w/velvet lining that my mom had sewn for me in high school. No longer needing formal wear, I was about to donate the stole. When the Pottery Barn catalog arrived with its faux fur pillows, it occurred to me that the material was the perfect width to make replacement covers for my faded throw pillows, if I used every inch — thus the invisible zipper. Every time I look at these gorgeous, soft pillows, I think of my mother. She was very creative and could have been a professional seamstress. Her work was impeccable, and since she sewed for her family, it was always sewn with love. My thanks to you for your detailed instructions and photographs. When sewing brings forth beauty, comfort, and special memories, it leaves a legacy.
I love that you repurposed and made another treasure! Go happy the tutorial is clear for you. Just made myself some newbies yesterday for the holidays.
Thank you so much. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, and look – it’s SO EASY when somebody takes the time to demonstrate. Thank you again
Thank you so much for this wonderful post.great work in your tutorial on make pillow cover..in this pillow cover good design.i will try make pillow cover learn by your ideas.thanks
I have sewn for almost 40 years how did I not know such an amazing foot existed? I must have one!!!!! thanks for the awesome tutorial!
they are a gem!
Great tutorial. Did it. Looks fab! Thanks for taking the time. 🙂
Katie, Thanks so much for this tutorial! I had a potential customer ask me for a pillow with an invisible zip, and I searched for info since I’d never installed one. I took your advice, bought the Bernina #35 foot, and it arrived yesterday- can’t wait to try it!
It can take a bit of time to get it started right, but it works awesome. You can always go over you’re original stitch line to get a bit closer if needed.
Brilliant – we have linked back to your tutorial 🙂
Oh thanks!
Do you install zippers the same size as your fabric/pillow form or are they a bit smaller?
good question. I shorten them by at least a few inches.
Thank you. I am going to give it whirl!
Thank you so much for “holding my hand” while I made my first invisible zipped pillow cover! It looks great, and is the first half of replacing my ancient dog-eared couch pillows. Thank you!
Hmm, I’m thinking I need to sign up for an invisible zipper class, are there any coming up in January? I just finished my first pillow covers!
Have a merry Christmas!
Elizabeth
Happy New Year Elizabeth. Looking forward to spending some time with you;)